Princess Cruises Unveils Two Specially Themed Cruises

Princess Cruises has designed two wine-and food-themed cruises focused on family-owned wineries on the US West Coast. Discovery Princess and Sapphire Princess will operate the special sailings, both departing in October 2023.

West Coast Sailings Tout California, Oregon Wines

Two Princess Cruises’ ships will each sail a special Pacific Coast Wine & Food Experience cruise in October 2023, both from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Los Angeles.

Discovery Princess, a Royal-class ship accommodating 3,660 guests, will operate a 6-night cruise featuring Wagner label wines and departing on October 1, 2023, while Sapphire Princess, a Gem-class ship with capacity for 2,670 guests, offers a 7-night voyage touting the Kendell-Jackson brand and departing on October 8, 2023.

“Enhancing our Pacific Coastal cruises with these two specially-themed cruises offer our guests an engaging experience while we’re visiting these top wine regions,“ said Sami Kohen, Princess Cruises vice president of food and beverage.

Both itineraries include wine pairing dinners, wine tastings, interactions with wine hosts and sommeliers, and other activities centered on the winemakers’ California and Oregon wine portfolios. Guests will pay a cover charge to participate in some of the activities.

“Our relationships with the Wagner and Jackson families pair their winemaking prowess with our enthusiastic chefs to serve up wine and food pairings our guests will sip and savor,” added Kohen.

Special Dinners, Wine Tastings Planned

Guests aboard Discovery Princess’s cruise will enjoy port calls in Victoria, British Columbia, and San Francisco, where they can participate in an excursion to the Caymus Suisun Winery.

Cruisers will have opportunities to learn the history of the Wagner wines, as well as the Caymus brand, which Wagner owns. Wine regions and tasting techniques also will be explored.

Guests can indulge in a Caymus Winemaker Dinner, which will illustrate the art of food and wine pairing during a grand, 5-course meal. In addition, the Discovery Princess-themed cruise will offer a Nautical Wine Tasting, where guests can enjoy foods paired with wines such as Sea Sun Chardonnay, Sea Sun Pinot Noir, Red Schooner ‘Voyage’ Malbec, and Red Schooner ‘Transit’ Grenache.

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Onboard Sapphire Princess, guests can immerse themselves in four port destinations, where day-long calls will feature Victoria and Astoria, British Columbia, San Francisco, and San Diego.

Special activities include several programs where, as with Discovery Princess, cover charges apply. A 5-course Jackson Family Wines dinner will showcase five wines paired to complement each course, and a Chardonnay Comparative Tasting will allow guests to learn about the various aroma and flavors that distinguish one wine from another.

Guest can take a deep dive into Oregon’s regional wines, with programs that explore the growing region and the Kendall-Jackson brands. The cruise also will be the setting for a VIP Winemaker Dinner, hosted by Kendall-Jackson’s top winemaker, Randy Ullom, and a master sommelier.

The winemaker dinner onboard the themed cruise follows a similar dining event that Princess Cruises rolled out across its fleet earlier in 2023. The dinner is offered on all ships and features the Caymus wines of Napa Valley.

Princess Offers A Bevy of Themed Cruises

Princess Cruises appears to be in a theme-sailing frame of mind. In early September, it rolled out three themed sailings, also with October 2023 departures, aboard Majestic Princess, Crown Princess, and Discovery Princess.

The sailings are called “Hollywood Insider” cruises, and will feature actors and celebrities who starred in top shows from the 1980s, behind-the-scenes special effects professionals, and music performances. The cruises range from 3 to 7 days, and will sail from Los Angeles, Seattle, and Vancouver, British Columbia.

Yet another themed cruise will operate in fall 2023, when Discovery Princess will host Adam Savage, the special effects designer and former co-host of the Emmy-nominated Discovery TV series “MythBusters,” on a 4-night West Coast Getaway cruise departing November 25, 2023 and sailing roundtrip from Los Angeles.